Wednesday, April 22, 2020

This is a message to our patients and
those of you who are interested in services offered at Healing
Wisdom. As events continue with the COVID-19 we wish to extend our
heartfelt wishes that you and your loved ones are safe and remain
free from infection and that you are finding creative ways to live
each day. Learning to remain centered is vital for us all as stress
lowers our immune system which makes us vulnerable to illness.

As my office location is situated with
Gorman Chiropractic & Holistic Health Center, furthermore this office is officially listed as “life-enhancing” – my practice
is available to those who wish to pursue Traditional Acupuncture and
related therapies as a viable means for immune system support.
However, if you have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus, please do
not come at this time for the safety of others.

To safeguard your protection,
particular measures are reinforced:

The patient is requested to remain in their vehicle until telephoned to enter the office. When called,
come directly to the treatment room, you will be met.

Please wear a face mask. The governor has requested that everyone wear one when going outdoors.
Either use gloves or a clean paper towel to open the door.

The room is sanitized for every treatment, prior to treatment and in-between treatments; the practitioner wears disposable gloves and a face mask for every patient.

You are encouraged to void your bladder and intestines at home prior to your visit to reduce or eliminate the use of the public toilet at the office. The office cleans and disaffects the bathroom regularly.

Returning home, follow these procedures for safety: please remove your shoes, preferably outside for sunlight cleaning, and remove your clothes indoors, preferably in your vestibule. Wash your garments and immediately shower and wash your hair. You should do this whenever you venture out in a public place.

May this historic world event pass soon
and may we all learn great lessons from its presence. May we move
forward towards greater health and equality for all beings on this
planet. Namaste.

Thursday, April 16, 2020

SEVEN
SACRED BREATH EXERCISES

In
order to ‘open the routes’ of passage for good and proper energy
flow, we must clear all obstructions which hinder the natural flow of
Chi. Blockage is usually due to three things: physical impediments,
mental impediments and emotional impediments. Each is caused by a
variety of stressors internally or externally: endogenous or
exogenous factors. Exogenous factors happen from the outside and
enter the interior of the form or attach to its exterior such as
insect bites. Endogenous factors fester within the organism causing
for example poorly functioning organ systems such as weak digestion
and eliminatory organs. This can be a mild attack or it can become
deep rooted illness such as diverticulitis.

It
is helpful to know that the energy routes in the body are grounded in
the greater and powerful balancing forces of Nature which exerts its
influence upon us continually. We can utilize the natural healing
forces of Nature, in this case with the power of Air, thru ‘breath’,
in order to remove and clear obstructions and revitalize the natural
energy flow of body/mind/emotion for Spirit.

The
first flow of energy is one route which courses downward in front of
the body. If its natural course is reversed and it goes upward,
there can be ill effects such as dizziness. In the Chinese and East
Asian perspective, this “Functional Channel” is called Yin and
has Yin qualities, such as being cold, quiet, and expansive. It is
named the Conceptual Vessel (Ren Mai). Its complimentary energy
channel flows downward. It is named the Governing Vessel (Du Mai).
Its qualities are hot, loud, and contractual. Point to remember that
the comparison between Yin and Yang Qualities is relative, and one
can only compare one quality at a time. For Yin becomes Yang and
Yang becomes Yin, the two energy forces are always moving one into
the other. Chi never stops changing. If it did, there would be no
life.

As
we examine and practice each of the following exercises, we notice
that we are directing the Chi Force of both the Governing Vessel (Du
Mai which is a Yang Channel) and Conception Vessel (Ren Mai is aYin
Channel). One flows upward mid-section of the body’s front and the
other going downward mid-section in the back of the body. Together
the Du Mai and Ren Mai coordinate all bodily activities.

Each
of the following breathing exercises activates and brings balance to
your three bodies: the physical/mental/emotional bodies. Breath
is the key
factor to all of life.
Without breath/air we cannot sustain life on our planet Earth. No
physical form is sustainable. All living beings require oxygen.
Every fabric of a living being comprised of organs, muscles, nerves,
skeletal, soft tissue et cetera relies fully upon breath to feed it
for proper transformational energy, functioning and maintenance.
Furthermore, this air
holds a Life ForceEnergy called Prana,
Vital Life Force, or Chi. It
is this innate life force which states we are alive.

Breathing
properly, breathing deeply and thoroughly calms the parasympathetic
nervous system and supports the chemical reactions and requirements
for our organic body which in turn enables our brain, systems and
organs to function well. As a footnote: The
parasympathetic nervous system
is one of three divisions of the autonomic
nervous system. The
other nervous systems are: the sympathetic
nervous system and the
enteric nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulating our
unconscious actions. The parasympathetic nervous system is
responsible for “stimulation of ‘rest and digest’ or ‘feed
and breed’ activities which occur when the body is at rest. Such
activities include eating, salivation, digestion, assimilation,
urination, defecation, lacrimation, and sexual arousal. Its actions
are described as being complementary to the sympathetic nervous
system which holds responsibility for stimulating activities
associated with the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. The enteric
nervous system, also
known as the ‘intrinsicnervous system’,
is a subdivision of the nervous system proper, and it consists of a
mesh-like system of neurons which governs our gastrointestinal
functions. It is separate from the autonomic nervous system because
it has an independent reflex activity. The enteric nervous system is
also known as ‘the second brain’. When performing these breathing
exercises imagine a stream of breath, pure, clean air flowing fluidly
in and out of your body. Don’t hold a straight line, geometrically
stiff, angular pathway in your mind’s eye. Air is fluid and almost
amorphous.

EXERCISE
I: “Halo
Disc of Light” –
Perform this exercise 12 times.

INNER
MANTRA: MANTRA:
“I AM ONE WITH INFINITE INTELLIGENCE DIVINE”.

Sit
in a half-lotus position. Keep your spine straightened. You may

use
a Yoga pillow under your buttock to support your backside in this
posture if you find your abdominal muscles cannot retain this
position with ease. The pillow permits you to sit comfortably and
longer with distraction.

BREATHING
TECHNIQUE: ‘CIRCLES
ABOVE HEAD’

Imagine
a circle forming over your head as you breathe and your breath moves
likewise in a circular pattern above your head. Imagine a fluid
breath moving from your occipital, the base of your skull, and it
arches upward above your head to the top of your skull, to the “Crown
Lotus Chakra” and beyond.

EXHALE:
Exhale 8 counts of breath. Your breath travels from the region above
your Crown Chakra forward to the front of the skull and moves
downward to connect again with the occipital region, the baseline of
your skull. It is a
circle flowing above, beyond, and inside your skull.

never
slouching, your rib case moves from side to side with each inhalation
and exhalation. Whilebreathing and moving
keep your torso and abdomen still.
In other words, do not make excessive or exaggerated movements in
the torso.

EXHALE:
Exhale 8 counts moving your ribcage to the left. Then inhale on the
left 8 counts, hold 8 counts; then exhale to the right 8 counts,
inhale 8 counts and hold 8 counts. Repeat this pattern for 12 times.

INHALE:
Inhale fully, taking as much air as you can for the count of 12,
beginning from the top of the Crown Chakra and the area above it.
Hold your breath for
the count of 6. When
you achieve better breath control you can retain your breath for 12
counts and eventually longer spans of time.

EXHALE:
Exhale forcibly downward into the navel and the base of your spine
and the area below it. This pushes away all blockages in the
physical/mental/emotional body and frees up your Pranic Tube of
Light. With every strong exhalation, you are releasing old thoughts
and feeling that do not serve your Highest Good.

INHALE:
Take a breath from a hand’s distance below your left foot. Breathe
in deeply to the count of 8 reaching the pelvic floor.

EXHALE:
For 8 counts exhale moving across the pelvic floor, downward on the
right side to the Lower Chakra located beneath the Root Chakra about
the distance of your hand’s length. Keep your breathing smooth and
flowing, it moves like a gentle stream of water.

INHALE:
Breathing slowly and evenly draw your breath starting a hand’s
distance from below your left foot. Take your breath up your left
leg to the navel. At the navel point imagine your breath as it
crosses over to the right side, going upward over the abdomen to the
Crown Chakra.

EXHALE:
Gently exhale from the Crown Chakra moving downward on the left side
of your body, crossing over at the navel and continuing exhalation
downward on the right side to the area below the right foot.

EYE
MOVEMENT: Keep your
eyes closed feeling the power of your breath. Feel its movement and
maintain the silent mantra.